Next Meeting: Friday 4 June 2010 (please note change of Speaker)
Dr. Richard S Grayson: Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in WW1
Richard Grayson's book of that title broke new ground in three particular ways. Firstly, it used a new methodology to tell the full story of those from West Belfast who served in 1914-18, in a way that has never been done for any part of the UK. Secondly, it shed new light on how men from both sides of the city's sectarian divide fought alongside each other. Thirdly, it examined how men who had once been British soldiers, found themselves fighting against British troops as members of the IRA after the war. He will be discussing all three aspects in his talk.
Richard Grayson is Head of Politics and Senior Lecturer in British and Irish Politics at Goldsmiths College, University of London. His interest in Northern Ireland and WWI began through researching the stories of his great-uncle who was killed in the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles in 1915, and his grandfather who served as a pilot in the RFC/RAF in 1918. Both were from County Armagh. 'Belfast Boys' is his first book on WWI, but he has published two previous books on inter-war British foreign policy.
April Meeting Report
Dr Nicholas Black's talk was engagingly titled: The British Naval Staff in WW1: Just Cabbage Heads? This was how the American historian, Arthur Marder, viewed Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and it was how many histories of the Royal Navy in WW1 viewed the naval staff as a whole. Dr Black pointed out that the controversies arising from the BEF's performance on the Western Front were replicated in the naval sphere. One problem facing more recent historians who wished to re-assess the naval issue is that only around 3% of the Admiralty documents from the war survived an enthusiastic shredding operation in the 1950s! However, enough remains to provide a more balanced view of what took place. In particular it can be asserted that the Admiralty did take wireless seriously and its listening operation against Germany was sophisticated. Harnessed to the "Room 40" code-breaking operation it gave the Royal Navy a consistent advantage.
At the start of the war the Admiralty staff was a mere 50 people. By November 1918 there were over 600, including officers of the RN, RNVT and civilians. A great deal of this was the work of Jellicoe. A vast card index of over three million items was created to monitor world trade. It should be remembered that at the start of hostilities a political decision was taken not to employ economic warfare against Germany, so that normal trade might carry on. This policy was not reversed until quite late on.
Although the Admiralty's staff was a pre-war creation of Winston Churchill, Dr Black argued that the system did not work well and it was only when Churchill and Admiral Fisher departed the scene in 1915, to be replaced by Arthur Balfour and Admiral Sir Henry Jackson, that things improved. The increasing use of technology - both in weapons and in communications - was part of a sophisticated and ultimately successful operation.
Newsletter Quiz
Answer to quiz 203: Pope Benedict XV. Robert Jones won and sets quiz no. 204: Who was born in a village in Norfolk in December 1865, and died in Belgium in October 1915? A state funeral was held for this person in Westminster Abbey in May 1919.
WFA AGM
I attended the AGM at what was Woolwich Arsenal (and is now home to the Royal Artillery "Firepower" Museum) on 17 April, and had a most enjoyable day. Of course, for many years the WFA has made its AGM into a mini-seminar, with talks before and after lunch, and the opportunity to view a museum during breaks. This year we had an excellent presentation on the Victoria Cross (which I hope will come to Harpenden before long), and a talk on FM Sir Douglas Haig from Gary Sheffield that certainly defied any post-prandial feelings! The AGM itself went off well, although AOB seemed to be dominated by two people who I think did much the same at previous AGMs! In the trustee election David Easton replaced John Chester as Branch Co-ordinator. Next year the AGM will be held on the same weekend as the branch chairmen's conference, which seems a sensible cost-cutting measure; the trustees will make their decision on the date and location in June.
Branch AGM and Members' Evening
The date is 3 Sept and the second part of the above is "tbc" As always, we are looking for three branch members to give a short talk on any WW1 subject, so this could be your chance for fame! Please contact the secretary if you can contribute.
Branch Diary
9 July: Muirhead Bone: Artist & Patron - Sylvester Bone
3 September: AGM & Members' Evening
8 October: Women in the War Zone: Hospital Service in WW1 - Anne Powell
12 November: St Eloi: Village of the Craters - Christopher John
10 December: The Austro-Hungarian Conflict in 1914 - Prof. Mark Cornwall
Venue: Room SP101, 1st Floor, Sports Hall, St George's School, Sun Lane, Harpenden, AL5 4EY. Doors open 7.30pm, 8.00pm start. Requested donation min. £3.00. Tea, coffee & biscuits at half time.
Contact
Acting Chairman/Newsletter Editor
